After the convoy ahead set off, the convoy of the building waited an incense stick of time before setting off in order to avoid following behind them.
After walking for another three incense sticks of time, they climbed over the last hill ahead and saw Jiangling City in sight.
Jiangling borders the Yangtze River to the south, the Han River to the north, Sichuan to the west, and Hunan and Guangdong to the south. It is a thoroughfare connecting seven provinces and is as famous as Jiankang, the seat of Yangzhou. It has the reputation of "the most important town on the left side of the Yangtze River is Jingyang".
The closer he got to the gate of Jiangling City, the more uneasy Chen Chang became, and he tried his best to control his emotions.
Although he was used to the bustling city in front of him, Chen Chang was still impressed by the ancient and majestic Jiangling Ancient City in front of him——
The lower part of the city gate is built with stone slabs, and the upper tower is built with blue bricks. The city wall is more than three meters high, like two strong arms guarding the city gate.
This was probably the first time Shui Ling'er came to such a city, and her beautiful eyes kept looking up at the top of the city.
Because he was riding in the owner's carriage and had Miss Wang's pendant on him, Chen Chang was not as nervous as before and even sat up straight.
When we got near the city gate, we saw the old man from the building in the first car got off the car and talked to the gatekeepers. The other gatekeepers were huddled in the city gate with their weapons leaning against the gate. They didn't even raise their eyelids to the people passing by and just kept chatting.
Chen Changjin rolled his eyes. If he had known that the inspection in Jiangling City was so lax, he would not have gone to Liu Yingshun's house to use the back door.
The two grandparents of the Yan family are simple and honest, but they often live in a corner of Yangjiadu and know nothing about the current situation of Jiangling City.
Walking down this winding road is really exhausting.
As 놛 was thinking, he suddenly felt Shui Ling'er's small hand trying to pull out from 놛놛's palm, and 놛 automatically grabbed it tightly.
Thinking about it, even though I lost a layer of skin, I got to know Shui Ling'er, a woman as gentle as water, and Miss Wang, who was wearing a veil and had beards, Zhou Yihai, who was mean-spirited but kind-hearted, Ma Liang, who was honest and simple, Han Zitong, who was brave and extraordinary, and the kind-hearted and enthusiastic brothers and sisters of the Lou family...
놛 looked at Shui Ling'er, and Shui Ling'er happened to be looking at 놛 as well.
Shui Ling'er raised the corner of her mouth slightly, revealing a sad smile, which made Chen Chang feel sad.
The soldiers and civilians around couldn't help but look at the carriage. Chen Chang and his men saw that this carriage was purely used to load goods and had no roof.
Naturally, everyone was looking at Shui Ling'er, who was slender and graceful, with tears on her cheeks that had not yet been wiped clean. They said she was very charming and pitiful.
Chen Chang clearly saw the Adam's apple of a fat soldier guarding the city move, and he obviously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Bringing a girl like Shui Ling'er here is definitely a plus.
With the connections of the landlord, it is naturally unimpeded to go into the city.
The carriage moved forward slowly. Just as Chen Chang, who was driving the carriage, arrived at the city gate, he saw a group of yamen runners running towards him in a hurry, followed by a burst of noise.
A yamen runner pointed at the old guard and scolded him, "We let so many people into the city. What are you doing here?"
The old gatekeeper spat fiercely on the ground: "Bah, do I need you to tell me how to guard the gate?"
“…”
Chen Chang vaguely understood that the yamen runners and the gatekeepers were arguing.
It can be seen that no matter which era, the lack of clear responsibilities between departments has led to overlapping functions or gaps, resulting in multiple management or no one paying attention.
The sound of horses' hooves clattering on the bluestone slabs made the city very lively. Teahouses, taverns, restaurants, money houses and various kinds of gatehouses lined the streets, and people passed by, doing business and making a lot of noise.
Chen Chang looked blankly at those quaint streets and alleys, a bit like Granny Liu entering the Garden of Elegance, looking at those noble ladies wearing lacquered gauze hats, long-sleeved shirts and striped skirts, listening to the hawking voices that penetrated more than a meter, all the scenes before his eyes seemed like a dream.
Shui Ling'er's eyes were still a little red and swollen, but when the carriage passed by the gouache shops and jewelry stalls, she couldn't help but look over there with her beautiful eyes.
It's women's nature to love beauty.
Besides really liking rouge and various styles of jewelry, she thought that looking at them like this might divert her attention.
However, some things are always in front of us.
Her heart was beating like a galloping horse and her thoughts were in a mess.
You said you wanted to be with me, but what should I do if your fiancée, Miss Lou, asks about it?
I heard from the old man who drove the carriage that the Lou family is a wealthy family, so the Lou girl must be a hundred times more beautiful than a country girl like me.
How many men would want to marry Miss Lou? Would you really give up wealth and glory just for me?
If they quarrel with the Lou family because of me, then wouldn't I be harming them?
Shui Ling'er, what should you do?
This was a question she had been thinking about ever since she learned about Miss Lou's affairs.
Now that she was in Jiangling, all these problems were stuffed into her little head, giving her a splitting headache.
Shui Ling'er wanted to implicate Chen Chang, but she had already fallen in love with him. Although it was only two days, the two of them had experienced too many deaths and joys together, and they had already become close friends.
But now this relationship is like a tangled mess, cut off and still in turmoil.
She was nervous and dared not face it. Even though she entered this prosperous Jiangling, it was far less reassuring than the castle.
When they reached a crossroads, Lou Wu parked the carriage steadily on the side of the road, got off the carriage and walked in front of Chen Chang and Shui Ling'er, crossed his arms and said, "You two, go north from here and go two blocks to the Lou Mansion. My daughter asked me to bring you a message. She has something important to attend to, so she didn't come to say goodbye to you. I hope you can take care of this small gift!"
After saying that, he stuffed a cloth bag into Chen Chang's hand.
Chen Chang's hand sank; the cloth bag was heavy. He had no idea about the currency at that time, so he and Shui Ling'er got out of the car in a hurry to thank him for the recommendation. However, Lou Wu was unwilling to take it back, and the two pushed it back and forth.
At this moment, there was a sound of a long whip in front, and Chen Chang looked over. It was Miss Lou's carriage that was about to turn. He saw the curtain of the carriage was opened again, revealing Xingchen's head and Huniu's dog head.
The girl even waved at him, and Huniu also barked in a low voice.
Chen Chang's eyes were moistened by this.
"Young Master, Young Master..."
I heard Shui Ling'er's gentle call in my ears, and when I looked again, Lou Wu had returned to the carriage. He flicked his right hand, and the whip made a beautiful whip flower in the air. The wheels reeled, the horses neighed, and the carriage actually moved away.
Chen Chang held the heavy cloth bag in his hand, feeling infinite emotion.
"My dear...Jun...Ling'er, Ling'er, let's just...say goodbye now..."
Shui Ling'er's call brought Chen Chang back to his senses again.
Looking at Shui Ling'er, she saw the light in her beautiful eyes. She had held back two lines of tears that rolled down like pearls falling from a string, but she still looked at her bravely. It seemed that her eyes wanted to engrave Chen Chang's appearance firmly in her heart.
A person with courage and determination can become strong even if he is weak.
After going through all the hardships, Shui Ling'er is less shy and timid than when she first met him, and has inadvertently become more resolute and calm.
Chen Chang grabbed her little hand, and Shui Ling'er couldn't help but turn away shyly.
Although the two of them were standing on the side of the road, there were many pedestrians passing by, and they were not as open as they would be later. Holding hands in the street was already a very inappropriate behavior. Being in such a public place made her face hot, and almost dried up her two lines of hot tears.
Seeing her so sad, knowing that she was in deep sorrow, Chen Chang's voice began to tremble: "Who... who said goodbye to you? I still remember what we said in the castle and in the carriage. Could it be that you have forgotten it so quickly?"
She said it was okay, but as soon as she said that, all the grievances, sadness, misery, helplessness and other emotions burst out like a flood, and Shui Ling'er could no longer hold back her tears.
Chen Chang's heart was moved, and he could not help but hold her in his arms with one hand, and said in a commanding tone: "I must do what I promised you, I allow you to go!"
Shui Ling'er panicked with embarrassment, pushed her chest with her fist, and said quickly: "Let go quickly, we are on the street, what will happen if someone sees us?"
Although Chen Chang could move one arm, he refused to let go, even though someone was watching them. He gently kissed Shui Ling'er's tear-stained face and said, "You are my wife. What if someone sees us?"
Shui Ling'er was held in 놛's arms, her heart was filled with tenderness, but when 뺗 heard 놛's resolute attitude, her face became even redder, and her bones felt soft for a moment.
She pushed Chen Chang lazily, but now she felt that she was being hugged, even her hands were soft and she couldn't breathe. She said anxiously and shyly: "My dear, I beg you, please, let Ling'er go, let her go..."
The two of them hugged each other in the street, which was beyond the tolerance of the ancients. At once, 20 to 30 people gathered around and pointed and talked, and the number of people coming to watch the fun continued to increase.
"Wow, this girl is so pretty!"
"What girl? She's obviously a married woman. Look at her hair bun!"
"Still like this, how can two people hugging each other in the street be so inappropriate?"
"It's really going downhill..."
"That woman is crying. Could it be that she is angry with her mother-in-law?"
"How do you know that you are angry with your mother-in-law and not with your husband?"
"Yeah, that's right. A concubine is jealous. It's hard to be a concubine..."
A little beggar in the crowd spat fiercely on the ground: "Bah, he must be trying to seduce someone's wife, how shameless!"
As more and more people gathered to watch the lively scene, Chen Chang could hear gossip and discussions flying around his ears.
I am afraid, anyway, in this era, people may take photos or videos and upload them to the Internet, and the scope of public discussion is very small. Even if it becomes a hot search, no one here knows me anyway.
Shui Ling'er's cheeks felt like they were on fire. She was so embarrassed and angry that she wanted to find a place to hide. She pushed Chen Chang away suddenly. She was a little angry and her movements were a little hasty. Chen Chang took two steps back and sat down on the ground.
Shui Ling'er panicked when she saw this, and hurried forward to help.
"It's okay, it's okay." Chen Chang stood up slowly and comforted Shui Ling'er. As he was speaking, his face suddenly changed. He felt around and shouted, "Oh, where's my money?"